I am notorious in my own book for producing workout times that are sometimes -not always, but frequently- faster than my competition times, no matter the tapering for competition.
Today was such an example.
One and a half months ago, I switched to a new Masters program, and today without tapering it was asked of us to do a T30 in a 50 meters pool, meaning swimming the maximum distance one can cover during 30 minutes.
I went a faster split at 800 meters than my tapered 800 meters swam in competition in Cleveland two months ago.
Today at the 800 meters mark I split 11:31.
In Cleveland it was 11:45.xx.
My distance covered today was 2,040 meter in 30 minutes, for an average of 1:28.23 per 100 meters.
In Cleveland, my 11:45.xx over the smaller 800 meters, is an average of 1:28.13, barely faster than the one during today's T30.
The fastest swimmer in the workout today, was in my lane, swimming 2,450 meters, for an average of 1:13.06 per 100 meters.
Last December, in the Masters program where I was then, in a 50 meter pool again, I swam 16 x 100 meters leaving every 1:25, so I started hoping to succeed a sub 11:00 in 800 meters in August 2002 in Cleveland.
I guess doing lots of quality swims so that the body remembers at least one of them during competition, leading a peace of mind life allowing for these swims, and tapering well -including carying a feel good sentiment into competition-, they are part of a fragile balance to achieve, and to maintain:
it is 'getting into the zone'.
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Originally posted by Phil Arcuni
Hi Ion,
I suspect you draft during your workouts, even if not intentionally. That fast swimmer in your lane passed you 4 times, if you hung at his feet for 25 m, that totals 100 m of drafting off of a fast swimmer, and will certainly improve your average time. Why don't you swim a T30 in a lane where you are the fastest swimmer and see if you get different results. My experience is that people get out of the way pretty easily and won't slow you down.
...
I did draft today, off him.
Not as much as 25 meters, less than 20 meters each time he passed me.
Also by the time of my 800 meters, he passed me only once -and inching closer for passing me a second time-, for a drafting distance - that I got off his start and off his lapping me once- of about 35 meters total.
In the lane next to mine, people were undisciplined, jumping in and out of the T30. I didn't want to start it there.
Less than two months before Cleveland, I swam untapered a 300 meter Long Course in the midst of an workout, no drafting -as I was leading the set-, in 3:57, a 1:19 pace per 100 meters, and an untapered 600 meter Long Course in the midst of another workout, starting 10 seconds behind a fast swimmer who took off quickly and didn't lap me -so I didn't draft off him- in 8:27, a 1:24.9x pace per 100 meters.
Tapering well shoud ensure a faster pace in the 800 than in my workout 600.
Originally posted by Phil Arcuni
Hi Ion,
I suspect you draft during your workouts, even if not intentionally. That fast swimmer in your lane passed you 4 times, if you hung at his feet for 25 m, that totals 100 m of drafting off of a fast swimmer, and will certainly improve your average time. Why don't you swim a T30 in a lane where you are the fastest swimmer and see if you get different results. My experience is that people get out of the way pretty easily and won't slow you down.
...
I did draft today, off him.
Not as much as 25 meters, less than 20 meters each time he passed me.
Also by the time of my 800 meters, he passed me only once -and inching closer for passing me a second time-, for a drafting distance - that I got off his start and off his lapping me once- of about 35 meters total.
In the lane next to mine, people were undisciplined, jumping in and out of the T30. I didn't want to start it there.
Less than two months before Cleveland, I swam untapered a 300 meter Long Course in the midst of an workout, no drafting -as I was leading the set-, in 3:57, a 1:19 pace per 100 meters, and an untapered 600 meter Long Course in the midst of another workout, starting 10 seconds behind a fast swimmer who took off quickly and didn't lap me -so I didn't draft off him- in 8:27, a 1:24.9x pace per 100 meters.
Tapering well shoud ensure a faster pace in the 800 than in my workout 600.
